


Probable Impossibilities

by Saquira



Series: Probable Impossibilities [1]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 19:59:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saquira/pseuds/Saquira
Summary: Linnea Eriksson appeared on the Citadel twelve years before the geth attack on Eden Prime. With antibodies protecting her against human diseases that had been eradicated a hundred years ago and antique clothing looking as if though it was bought yesterday, she's one big amnesiac question mark. Could it then in any way be regarded as a surprise that Cerberus eventually took notice of the strange woman and decided to…recruither into their organisation?It's through Cerberus that she meets and develops a rapport with Nihlus Kryik, and it's in his presence that she first begins to make a difference through the only method she knows; intelligence. It's in his presence that she has to learn when to speak up and when to keep quiet, and just what kind of consequences her actions can have.





	Probable Impossibilities

**Author's Note:**

> The Probable Impossibilities 'verse is my spin on the self insert genre.
> 
> Shepard's a male soldier, with the background earthborn/warhero in this story. That said, Shepard’s personal appearances in the main story will be few and far between since Linnea will be avoiding getting involved with the Normandy crew as much as possible.

_**Chapter I** _

_**-** _ _ **Time To Wake Up** _ _**-** _

 

**May 19** **th**

**2171 CE**

 

**Presidium Ring, The Citadel**

**-**

**Widow, The Serpent Nebula**

 

It was a strange scene, and that was about as much as Garrus Vakarian could discern even as they fine combed the place for clues. The fresh C-sec recruit whose brief tour in the military had almost gotten him a position as a Spectre – almost, but not quite – still couldn't get the sight of the original scene out of his head. The human female had been sprawled unconscious against the wall of the alleyway they were now standing in, short hair doing nothing to cover up the substantial bruise adorning the side of her head. They'd found no id or credit chit, not even an omni-tool was present on her body. Only an old watch of human make and clothing that his visor declared to be “vintage”, whatever that meant.

No blood on the ground, no signs of a struggle and no possible object that could be wielded as a weapon. Though at first glance he'd have said robbery without missing a beat, the watch was old enough and well-kept enough that it'd fetch a tidy sum with any collector. No robber would leave an antique like that on the body, _that_ he knew for sure.

As first responders to the scene, it had been Garrus' and Olann Lenik's – his partner/supervisor/babysitter appointed by his father – responsibility to get the victim to the closest hospital and to secure the crime scene before civilians could contaminate it. Lenik had fired off the call for an ambulance before Garrus had even finished processing what they'd been looking at, only further highlighting just how much experience the Salarian had compared to the young Turian. Told to keep back any loitering civilians, Garrus had done just that as his partner checked on the female and not even five minutes later the air-transport from Huerta Memorial picked up the prone figure.

Three hours later, having had to ward of curious questions and people trying to snap a picture of the scene with their omni-tool to show their friends – _seriously,_ why _did people_ do _that?_ \- Garrus was hungry, annoyed, and still hadn't found out if the human was alive or not. And there was still three different officers combing through the crime scene for what he could swear was the thirtieth time. Lenik, to his credit, was not one of them. He was tapping away at his omni-tool over at one of the C-sec air-cars, frowning at whatever pieces of information that were being sent through the extranet.

Having to answer yet another question, this time from some human whose chest was so puffed out Garrus thought for a moment he was going to explode, he was turned away from the scene when Lenik finally tore his eyes away from the omni-tool and called out to the recruit.

“Vakarian! Get in the car.” At the salarian's call Garrus didn't waste another moment answering inane question as he immediately turned from the human and headed up to his partner. As Lenik's gaze fixed on something just beyond the turian his lips twitched into a small smile, and Garrus was only half tempted to turn around and see what had gotten him so amused. However, by the time he got within hearing range for normal conversation Lenik had already disappeared into the air-car and so the turian refrained from asking inane questions of his own as the police cruiser lifted off from the ground.

“We're headed to the hospital. The human female just came out of surgery and we're going to talk to the nurse responsible for her care,” Detective Lenik said as the cruiser sped along the airways towards the hospital. Garrus didn't bother offering a verbal response, only nodding shortly as he kept an eye on their surroundings. Anything more would only have annoyed the detective as it was superfluous. The salarian already knew that the turian could hear him without trouble. If Garrus didn't hear what the detective said it was because he wasn't paying attention and as the older officer had told him on their first day together he didn't cater to ignorant greenhorns.

When they touched down in the parking lot of the Huerta Memorial hospital barely fifteen minutes later neither officer lingered very long in the car. Lenik paused briefly to lock the vehicle and then the two of them made a beeline for the entrance.

Doctor Jeae T'Lanus was waiting for them near the front desk when they entered and motioned for the two of them to follow her as she stepped into the elevator that would bring them to the floor that the young woman was being kept on.

“So, what's the state of the victim?” Lenik asked as they followed her into the elevator.

“She had some minor inner bleeding, some broken bones and a concussion. No traces of DNA that isn't hers. Physically, she's in the prime of her life. However, I did notice some oddities.” She paused when the elevator doors opened again and they stepped out into the corridor. Lenik motioned for her to continue as the two officers followed her towards the correct recovery room.

“She's had none of the mandatory immunisations, though there are antibodies present from human diseases that were cured a century ago. Neither does she have any kind of implants, not even a translator. And though we didn't expect to find anything at that point I did run her DNA through the scanners. She's not registered anywhere in the galaxy.” The doctor finished talking just as they stopped outside the see-through door of room 511, behind which the young woman was laying. “We gave her the required immunisation shots and a translator implant after we'd repaired the internal damage. For now there's nothing more we can do until she wakes up.” When T'Lanus fell silent it only took a few moments before she turned to the two C-sec officers. They were both watching the young woman through the glass, but while the turian looked more curious than anything else, the salarian was clearly frowning as he watched the young human with something that could only truly be called impatience.

“Thank you doctor,” the more experienced of the two said as he sighed and turned again to the asari. “It seems there's nothing more for us to do here.” Though he nodded at the doctor, the later statement was clearly aimed at his partner, and Garrus Vakarian turned away from the glass to await his superiors instructions. “We should get back to the station, have other cases to go over,” Lenik stated, clearly already going over those other cases in his mind if the absent look in his eyes was any judge. T'Lanus merely smiled faintly, not in the least offended by the officers standoffish behaviour as she nodded her farewell to the two c-sec officers.

“We'll let you know as soon as the situation changes,” she stated and the salarian only nodded once before turning away to make his way out of the building. Vakarian only had time to to acknowledge her with another nod before he had to hurry away to catch up with the other officer, and the doctor turned back to watch her latest patient before they'd gotten out of sight.

 

**May 22** **nd**

**2171 CE**

 

**The Huerta Memorial Hospital**

**Presidium Ring, The Citadel**

–

**Widow, The Serpent Nebula**

 

Aside from the slight whirring sound of an air-conditioning unit and the regular beeping of one of the machines next to the bed the room was silent. Outside the window a vista of the Presidium in its day cycle was on full display, and inside it the white walls and metallic surfaces all looked pristine. A moment later, the machine began to beep at a slightly increased rate, and the fingers of the prone figure twitched where they'd been placed above the blanket. Slowly, grey eyes opened up, quickly closing and opening again a few times before they had accustomed themselves to the light and the brown haired woman looked down at her body. Her eyes quickly noted the white medical gown, then lingered on the needle piercing the skin of her arm before looking up at the half-full iv bag of fluid that hung next to the bed. As she curled and opened her hands again her eyes wandered to the blanket covering her legs, slight frown marring her features until an attempt to twitch her toes was made and the movement was clearly visible through the blanket. She breathed out a sigh of relief, briefly closing her eyes before opening them to look up at the window to her left.

When, no more than a minute later, Jeae T'Lanus entered the room in which her latest patient had been sleeping for the past few days the young woman's eyes were still riveted on the landscape outside. The asari nurse smiled at the sight, relief coursing through her body as she knocked lightly on the frame of the door to announce her presence.

“Good morning, ma'am. I'm relieved to see you awake at last, and sitting up to boot,” she said with a kind smile, though when the human finally faced her the asari still threw her a reprimanding look. The younger of the two looked at the blue-skinned woman in shock for a couple of moments before managing to close her gaping mouth, and sent the nurse an apologetic look as she leaned back in the bed.

“At last? How long have I been unconscious?” The brunette finally found her voice, though it was slightly raspy at first. Jeae kept her smile on her face as she turned away from the patient to check the monitors, aware of just how large a difference a calm attitude could mean for the patients.

“Almost three days. A couple of C-sec officers found you unconscious in an alleyway here on the Presidium with a fairly nasty bruise on your head. They brought you here first thing, and you're lucky they did concerning the internal bleeding in your abdominal cavity. They'll be happy to hear you've woken up,” the asari said as she checked values and mentally ticked them off. Everything seemed to be al right, though it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask the young woman how she was feeling.

“Internal bleeding..? I... Where's here?” It took a few tries for a coherent question to spring from the young brunette, and when it did Jeae turned from her reading to approach the bed instead. The small light application she brought up on her omni-tool was so frequently used that the nurse didn't even need to look down to find it, but the humans' eyes followed her every movement as the asari raised the light and shone it into her eyes to check the reactivity of her pupils.

“The Huerta Memorial Hospital on the Presidium. One of the finest hospitals on the Citadel, if I may say so. Can you tell me your name, ma'am?” The beeping increased slightly in its intensity as the young woman looked at the asari with a frown. She raised her hand to her head to rub at her face as she thought and the Asari's face twisted into a worried frown.

“I... Linnea... Linnea Eriksson, I think,” she finally uttered as she lowered her hand to look up at the nurse with a furrowed brow. The confusion was plain upon her face as the two women faced each other.

“You think..?” The asari's expression morphed into one of worry as the human met her eyes. “What do you remember?” she asked, deciding not to linger too long on the young brunette's statement.

“I...” The human started, thoughts racing quickly through her head as her voice faltered. “Earth, I think. Bits and pieces of... of my family. I'm from Earth...” The human trailed off, her memories seemingly failing her as the asari's pitying gaze lingered upon her face. As she watched Linnea lowered her head into her hands, and after a few seconds the faint sound of muted sobbing reached the Asari's ears as she could do nothing but watch the human, any words failing her at the sight of the despairing youth.

“Well, at least that's something. Hopefully enough to find any next of kin.” Even as the Aasari spoke, the human knew that it was hopeless. She kept her face covered so as to hide the tears from the blue-skinned woman, but realised herself that little could be done to cover up the sobbing. Because no next of kin where there to be found, and no friends would ever come looking for the adolescent with the grey eyes.

Yet the asari's voice was hopeful as she continued, as she lowered herself onto the bed next to the human and began to pat her knee as she uttered all the consoling words she could find within her. But of course the asari didn't know what the human did. She couldn't know, and Linnea couldn't tell. Not that any knowledge the asari did or did not possess could ever have made any difference.


End file.
